Polish President Andrzej Duda has accused Berlin of violating a tank replacement agreement sent to Warsaw Kiev.
Germany has failed to supply war tanks to Poland after Warsaw ran out of its own stockpile to send heavy equipment to Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday.
There is Poland “Weak” Using its own stock to supply Kiev with its own military capabilities “Large number of tanks,” Duda said Warsaw expected support, especially from NATO and Berlin.
Most of Poland’s tanks are German-built leopards, the president explained, adding that Berlin had previously promised to replace military hardware supplied to Ukraine.
“Germany promised to deliver these tanks to us. You did not keep that promise. And to be honest, we are very disappointed about that.” Duda told the paper. The president reprimanded Berlin for not doing enough to support Ukraine.
“First of all, Germany should help Ukraine. Ukraine needs this help urgently.” He said Poland had stepped in with heavy equipment supplies because other countries were reluctant to make such promises.
The president did not specify how many Polish tanks were sent to Ukraine and when they were delivered. Berlin has not yet commented on Dudar’s allegations.
Ukraine, which has been embroiled in a confrontation with Moscow since Russia launched its military offensive in late February, has repeatedly called on Western nations to provide military assistance, especially heavy weapons. Western powers have provided Ukraine with small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, as well as ammunition and fuel, but are still reluctant to send heavy equipment, such as tanks or aircraft.
Berlin has previously signed a number of exchange agreements with Eastern European countries aimed at supplying arms to Ukraine. In late April, Germany and Slovenia agreed to an agreement that saw Berlin send Soviet-built war tanks to Slovenia to Kiev.
Last week, Germany announced another such swap, this time with the Czech Republic. Prague now expects to receive 15 Leopard 2 tanks from German stock in exchange for tank deliveries to Ukraine.
Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine in late February, following Kiev’s failure to implement the terms of the first Minsk agreement, signed in 2014, and Moscow’s final recognition of Donetsk and the Donbass Republic of Lugansk. The German- and French-brokerage protocols were designed to give special status to isolated territories within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine formally declare itself a neutral state that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kyiv has insisted that the Russian invasion was completely unpopular and has denied claims that it is planning to forcibly retake the two republics.
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